Chapter 171: New Skill

Geluo had his eye on a Blacksmith’s Hammer.

As the “exclusive weapon” of Dwarves, human Adventurers rarely used it.

After all, its attack range was just too short. For humans who believed “the longer, the stronger,” it really wasn’t a good choice.

Anyway, in Lu Wei’s memory, the only one who used such a weapon was the red-caped Thunder God from his previous life.

“The price is 2 gold and 3 silver, but you’re only willing to pay two Gold Coins, is that right?”

“Mm, I see.”

After hearing Geluo’s explanation, Lu Wei nodded but didn’t agree to help him right away.

He was well aware of Sebas’s habit of “never accepting haggling.”

Even if Sebas agreed for his sake, Lu Wei would owe him a favor.

Of course, Geluo would then owe him a favor in return.

But Sebas’s favor was clearly more valuable.

“So, do you think the price is too high, or did you just not bring enough money?”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Wei looked down at Geluo. “If it’s the former, then I can’t really help you. After all, this isn’t a deal between you and me.”

“But if it’s the latter, I can lend you three Silver Coins. You can just pay me back the next time we meet.”

“Er…”

Geluo scratched his head in embarrassment.

“I did only bring two Gold Coins, but I also think the price is a bit steep.”

“2 gold and 3 silver is more than I’m willing to pay for this hammer.”

“Is that so.”

Lu Wei hesitated for a moment, then subtly shot Sebas a look.

“Uncle Sebas, for my sake, how about 2 Gold Coins?”

“You know I never haggle.”

Sebas frowned. “It’s my principle.”

Lu Wei smiled. “Of course, I know that. But Geluo and I are good friends, after all.”

“This… *Sigh*. All right, two Gold Coins it is.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Sebas finally gave a helpless nod.

When Geluo saw that he had actually agreed, his face lit up with surprise as he hurriedly thanked Lu Wei.

“Mr. Lu Wei, thank you so much!”

“If you ever need my help with anything in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask!”

“Oh, right, I live on Anvil Lane. You’re welcome to visit anytime!”

Having bought the weapon he wanted for a price he was happy with, Geluo was overcome with gratitude for Lu Wei.

He was still expressing his thanks profusely even as he completed the transaction with Sebas and left.

In response, Lu Wei simply adopted an air of, “Don’t mention it.”

‘I’ve already helped him, so there’s no need to emphasize my contribution. The more composed and magnanimous I am now, the more likely he is to remember this favor.’

As for the favor he now owed Sebas…

“Uncle Sebas, here are the three Silver Coins for the difference.”

Once Geluo had left with the hammer, Lu Wei immediately took three Silver Coins from his coin pouch and handed them to Sebas.

The latter wasn’t the least bit surprised.

This was because the two had just “communicated” and agreed on it with a look—

Sebas would pretend to do him a favor, and Lu Wei would secretly cover the difference out of his own pocket afterward.

“Why didn’t you just help him pay these three Silver Coins directly?”

Pocketing the money, Sebas asked curiously, “Were you afraid he’d refuse?”

“Mhm, you know how proud Dwarves are.”

Lu Wei nodded. “If I had offered to help him pay, he definitely wouldn’t have accepted.”

“I see. It seems you two really are good friends,” Sebas remarked with a hint of emotion.

“Not really. I was just returning a favor.”

Lu Wei pursed his lips, silently blaming Bai Ya for the expense.

‘After all, I’m just paying for her [Beast Language] tuition.’

‘Yep, nothing wrong with that logic.’

‘I’ll get the money back from Bai Ya tonight.’

…

…

After Geluo left, it was, of course, time for the appraisals.

Since it had been two weeks, Sebas had brought more items this time.

There were a dozen or so.

However, because Lu Wei was preoccupied with the Professional Skill Books, he cut down on his usual pretense. He gave an answer for each item within a minute of picking it up.

This only made Sebas admire his “vast knowledge” even more.

As for whether there was anything good in this batch…

Nothing especially valuable.

But there was a rather interesting Inlay.

[Crown Fragment]

[Species: Inlay]

[Level: High Level]

[Value: 4 gold and 1 silver]

[Introduction: A fragment from the crown of the 7th King of the Jade Bay Kingdom, which fell two hundred years ago. Made of Gold, with smooth edges. It contains the rare “Noble Traits.” Inlaying it or wearing it directly can make the wearer appear to have a higher status.]

[Note: If all the fragments are collected, there might be additional effects.]

‘Freaking Dragon Ball…’

“This is clearly part of something, and these patterns should be the royal engravings of the Jade Bay Kingdom.”

“Not many items are worthy of bearing royal engravings, so it should be a personal item of a royal family member.”

“Maybe a Sword Scabbard, a Wine Flask, or something like that.”

“If you want to find out for sure, you’ll probably have to find a scholar who’s knowledgeable about the Jade Bay Kingdom.”

Shaking his head, Lu Wei handed the fragment to Sebas, speaking very vaguely.

He always handled similar items this way.

After all, if he stated everything with perfect clarity, it would be a little too outrageous.

“Jade Bay?”

Sebas took the fragment and asked in confusion, “How come I’ve never heard of this Kingdom?”

‘That’s normal. I’ve never heard of it either.’

“It was a small country that fell over two hundred years ago. I only know about it because I happened to come across it in a history book once.”

Lu Wei gave a perfunctory reply and changed the subject.

“In any case, this thing’s value shouldn’t be much higher than an equivalent weight in Gold.”

“It’s probably worth about three or four gold coins.”

“Of course, if you can find a collector who’s keen on antiques, you might be able to sell it for a bit more.”

“That won’t be easy.”

Sebas shook his head in frustration. “There are many collectors, but not many who are willing to collect fragments.”

“Mhm, that’s true.”

Lu Wei agreed absentmindedly. He couldn’t be bothered with whether Sebas could sell it; right now, his mind was only on the Professional Skill Books.

“By the way, Uncle Sebas, about the Professional Skill Books I asked you to help me buy last time…”

“Oh, right! I brought them for you.”

Sebas casually placed the Crown Fragment on his stall and, as he spoke, took out two light-blue Skill Books from his bag.

Then, under Lu Wei’s pleasantly surprised gaze, he began to explain:

“Didn’t you say it would be best if they were Mage Skills?”

“As it happens, I have a Mage acquaintance in Kalin Port, so I asked him for help.”

“However, the Mage Association doesn’t have a branch in Kalin Port, just a small office.”

“Their Skill Books are always out of stock. Right now, they only have one Ring One Magic spell left; the rest are all Tricks.”

“So that Mage was only able to buy one Ring One Magic spell and then picked out a relatively practical Trick.”

“Here, take a look.”

“[Long Stride] and [Magic Tricks].”